Volvo Group reaffirms local commitment with new national HQ

Global chief kicks off construction on a new $30m Volvo headquarters facility in the Wacol area

Volvo Group president and CEO Martin Lundstedt at the launch.

Global president and CEO Martin Lundstedt has reaffirmed Volvo Group’s commitment to the Australian market, turning the first sod on a new $30 million headquarters and dealership in Brisbane.

Launching construction of the facility at the Metroplex Westgate business park, within reach of the Wacol assembly plant, the global chief says the company "has a very bright future here."

"Volvo has been building trucks in Brisbane for more than 40 years," Lundstedt says.

"Wacol is the largest truck assembly plant in Australia and its dedicated workforce has enabled Volvo Group Australia to become the largest truck-builder in the country."

The Wacol area, which currently holds five company sites, will employ over half of Volvo Group Australia’s national workforce with the addition of the new headquarters next year.

Utilising solar power, LED lighting and rainwater harvesting, Volvo says the energy-efficient facility will include a new VCV Brisbane South dealership and a paint and panel workshop.

Lundstedt says the Volvo Group has invested over $27 million in local manufacturing in recent times, showing its "great confidence in the Australian business."

"I appreciate that manufacturing in Australia has been in decline for a number of years, as it has in many other countries, but the outlook for our business is strong," he says.

A number of guests, including the ambassador of Sweden to Australia Par Ahlberger and Australian Trucking Association chairperson Noelene Watson, had a go at turning a sod.

With the highest national market share of any truck manufacturer at 26.2 per cent, Volvo Group Australia president Peter Voorhoeve says producing Volvo and Mack trucks in Wacol is an advantage.

"Australia is the toughest trucking environment in the world and it makes sense for us to build locally the specific trucks that the market demands," Voorhoeve says.

"In Australia trucks carry heavier loads for longer distances and in higher temperatures than anywhere else in the world.

"Our team has obviously developed a great understanding of what the Australian transport industry needs and the investment being made here demonstrates how positive we are about the future."

The company produces the Volvo FH, FM, and FMX in Wacol, along with the Mack Granite, Metro-Liner, Super-Liner, Trident, and Titan.

The new facility, which will be home to Mack, Renault, UD, and Volvo truck brands within Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and the South Pacific Islands, is scheduled to open in late-2017.